Iowa View: There is no silver bullet for Syria

1:05 AM,
Sep. 10, 2013

Written by

Aura Kanegis and Kathleen McQuillen

We have all had the same conversation many times over this week as the nation wrestles with the wisdom of military intervention in Syria. It begins with all the reasons U.S. military strikes aren't going to end or lessen the ongoing war in Syria and may well do more harm than good, and it generally ends something like this:

"But how can we just stand by and do nothing?"

In that sentiment rests the fundamental myth that haunts U.S. foreign policy, seemingly dooming us to repeat the mistakes of war again and again: Everything short of a bombing campaign feels like "nothing" in a nation that loves the ...